Collar button and the like



y 1934- F. P. DAUGHADAY COLLAR BUTTON AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 27, 1930 Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

My present invention relates to collar buttons and similar articles of personal jewelry, and has particular reference to composite articles having a metal base and a non-metal insert.

Personal jewelry of the type described is frequently provided with a convex mother-of-pearl or molded material insert, the base being formed with an upstanding flange to receive the insert, and the flange being rolled over the convex face of the insert to lock it in place. This construction has the disadvantage that the edge of the flange extends over the convex surface of the insert, and must be rolled to a thin edge in order to eliminate an upstanding ridge.

While such thin rolling is feasible with solid metals, such as gold, silver, and the like, it is not as feasible with plated metals such as chromium plated copper, chromium plated brass, or chromium plated nickel. An extended rolling tends to v bring out the heavier base metal at the edge, and

to expose the base metal at the point where the presence of the plate is most desirable.

It has been found, however, that if the insert is provided with a bevelled edge, and is inserted into a flanged base with the larger surface towards the base, that turning the flange is a simple operation, which looks the insert without requiring a sharp bend or excessive rolling. The entire surface of the insert is therefore unobstructed, and the bevelled locking portion forms a metallic peripheral line which need not be rolled to a thin edge, and which can be highly polished to frame the insert surface and enhance its appearance.

Since the locking flange grips only the bevelled edge of the insert, the insert may be made of any cross-section, one preferred form being of generally square outline, with a center depression or hollow.

It has been found that chromium surface plating is not satisfactory on a copper base, and that nickel is hard on the shaping tools. Extensive experimentation has determined that a white nickel copper zinc alloy such as the alloy commercially known as Mauser metal is softer and more ductile than nickel, and shapes more easily, and is a very satisfactory metal base for the chromium surface coat.

With these and other advantageous objects in view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the appended drawing, and more particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an improved collar button;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the metal base prior to assembly with the insert;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the completed button;

Fig. 4 is a bottom view thereof;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail showing the flange end turned over to entirely conceal the base material; and

Fig. 6 is a section through a modified form of insert.

It has been found desirable to simplify the construction of composite collar buttons and the like, and to enhance their appearance, by utilizing non-metallic inserts such as mother-of-pearl and the like which have bevelled edges, the metal portion of the collar button or the like being flanged with the flange turned over the bevelled edge of the insert so as to lock the same. The use of a bevelled edge reduces the angle of turn of the metallic flange required with the usual convex insert, and eliminates rolling the edge of the flange to a thin edge. Preferably, the turning of the flange may be performed so as to round the edge, such rounding when using plated metals concealing the metal base from view, and adding a finished edging or bead which frames the insert and enhances its appearance. While the invention may be carried out in different forms, the following is a detailed description of a preferred structural embodiment.

Referring to the drawing, the collar button 10 includes a metal top 11 and an insert 12, which may be made of mother-of-pearl, of phenol condensation products, or any desired material which effectively enhances the appearance of the button.

The metal top 11 may be of solid metal, but preferably is plated or rolled, the metal base 13, for example consisting of Mauser metal or the like and the outer plate 14 of chromium. The top is drawn or hammered from a metal blank in the usual manner, and is provided with the usual flange 15, as shown in Fig. 2, to receive the insert 12, the flange being turned over as shown in Fig. 3, to lock the insert in the top.

The insert is provided with bevelled edges 16, and is preferably substantially square in outline, as indicated in Fig. 4, this form facilitating the provision of a concaved depression 17. As the flange is turned over the edges of the insert, the end thereof is preferably rolled in, as shown in Fig. 5, to provide a bead 18 which frames the insert and enhances its appearance.

If desired, the lower surface of the insert may be fiat, as indicated at 19 in the modified form of insert shown in Fig. 6.

The described construction is simple to manufacture, and presents a very attractive appearance, as indicated in Fig. 1, the turned edge of the metal flange providing ametallic band which may extend to the lower surface of the insert, or may end before the lower surface to produce a stepped effect heretofore obtained only by grooving the insert to provide a locking shoulder. The rela-- tively small angle of bend for the flange, the elimination of excessive rolling, and the rolling over of the edge, effectively prevents exposure. of the metal base when using a plated metal top, and the peripheral bead for insertdoes not extend over its lower surface and attractively frames the insert.

While I have described a specific construction embodying the principles of my invention, such changes in arrangement and form as appear desirable may obviously be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a collar button, a metal top comprising a base and a surface plate providing a substantially square surface in a single plane, and an insert seating on said surface and having a bevelled peripheral edge, the smaller side of the in sert being distal from said top and having a central depression, and the edge of said top being turned over said bevelled insert edge androlled to terminate on said bevelled insert edge into a bead with the metal base of the top concealed by the surface plate.

2. In a collar button, a metal top providing a substantially square surface in a single plane, and comprising a base of Mauser metal and an outer surface plate of chromium, and an insert of mother-of-pearl seating on said surface, said insert having a bevelled peripheral edge, the smaller side of the. insert being distal from said top and having a central depression, the edge of the top being turned. over the peripheral edge of the insert and rolled to terminate. into a bead and with the base of the metal concealed by the chromium plate.

FRANK P. DAUGHADAY. 

